Foot-ball protective apparel.



G. L. PIERCE.

FOOT BALL PROTECTIVE APPAREL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1913.

1,094,865, Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

S ATFQNT @FFT.

GEORGE L. PIERCE, 01-? BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FOOT-BALL PBGTEOTIVE APPAREL.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Apr. 238, 1214.

Application filed January 31, 1913. Serial No. 745,350.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. PIERCE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foot-Ball Protect-ive Apparel, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in protective apparel for football players and the like, the advantages of which will appear to those skilled in the art from an understanding of the following description in connection with the drawings, some of the improved features being that the invention provides protective devices for the vulnerable parts which really protect them, and the improvements prevent these devices from being shifted during play from their protecting position.

In the drawings which show an embodiment of these improvements, F i 'ure 1 is a front view of the improved protective apparel; Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 in Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

I will now describe the specific devices of the drawings, reserving it to the claims to point out the novel features and to define the scope of the invention, it being understood that the claims will be given the due range of equivalents to which they may be entitled in View of the art both as to materials and otherwise.

The foundation of the apparel is a close fitting sleeved jacket 1. This is made of essentially non stretching material such as thick khaki or canvas. It thus constitutes a non-shifting support for the protective devices to be attached thereto, and thereby prevents these from being displaced during play from their protecting position. The sleeves 2 assist in this. These protective devices each consist of a thick pad 3 of soft material such as felt sewed firmly to the outside of the jacket. These pads have openings 4 (best shown in Fig. 8) through them located over the parts of the wearer that are to be specially protected. Finally, 5, 5 designate outwardly arched roofs of hard, stifi material such as sole leather sewed in position over the tops of said openings. The blows received against these roof members are not transmitted to the protected parts because of the intervening space. Further, the improvements comprise a special arrangement and adaptation of the pads. The pads for the front, back and top of each shoulder are all united into one by shaping the felt foundation material 3 so as to comprise an enlarged front portion 6 (Fig. 1) covering the collar bone region, a still larger back portion covering the shoulder blade region, and a relatively narrow strap-like portion 8 con necting the former parts to protect the tops of the shoulders. Each of these pads immediately over the collar bone, top of the shoulder, and shoulder blade, has as aforesaid an opening l through it, the first and the last being circular in outline, and the opening over the top of the shoulder being elongatedly rectangular and in direction extending like an epaulet, a section through any one of said openings being as shown in Fig. 3. Correspondingly shaped roof members 5, 5 arch over the tops of these openings. Finally, protective devices are provided for the deltoid portions of the arms consisting each of a pad 9 of the aforesaid felt material 3 shaped to the top, front and back of said deltoid region and firmly secured to the underlying portions of the jacket. Each further consists of a leather covering 10 over the outside of the pad 9. 11 is the roof me1nher corresponding to the similar members 5 in the other pads, and said roof member 11 covers a similar opening t orer the point of the shoulder, which opening may extend through both the leather covering 10 and the pad 9, or at any rate through the pad.

The construction, arrangement and adaptation of these devices form a protective apparel which is relatively simple to manufacture, and it has the advantages in use that its protective devices are such and are so located that they really protect and cannot shift from their protecting position.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In apparel of the class described, the combination of an anchorage of flexible material adapted to be carried by a portion of the human body and comprising a close-fitting jacket of substantially non-stretching material, a resilient member fixedly carried eXteriorly by said anchorage, said resilient member being constructed of a soft material such as felt and having an opening therethrough, and a rigid member carried eXte riorly by said resilient member.

2. In apparel of the class described, the combination of an anchorage of flexible material adapted to be carried by a portion of the human body and comprising a close-fitting jacket of substantially non-stretching material a resilient member fixedly carried exteriorly by said anchorage, said resilient member being constructed of a soft material such as felt and having an opening therethrough and a rigid member carried exteriorly by said resilient member, said rigid member having a dished portion overlying said opening and spaced from said anchorage member.

3. In apparel oi the class described, the combination comprising a close fitting acket of substantially non-stretching material a pair of thick pads of soft material one for each shoulder permanently secured to the outside of the jacket and consisting of a portion extending like an epaulet over the top of the shoulder, and enlarged portions at its front and rear ends, covering respectively the collar bone and shoulder blade regions and having openings therethrough over the top of the shoulder, the collar bone and shoulder blade regions; and roofing parts over the top of said openings.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

GEORGE L. PIERCE.

Witnesses F. R. HOWARD, EDWIN J. BORTHWIOK.

flopi'es of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 30. C. 

